Fighting the Tiger (conclusion)

A Personal Journey

By: Rod Morin

I made my way to the area where the herbs are sold, thinking that I would find Grandfather there, and just as I thought, I saw him dealing with a vendor. I made my way over to the stall and stood beside my teacher and listened while he dealt with an old man who appeared to be as ancient as China herself.

“You there!” shouted a voice from behind me. “Where did you get that sword?”

I had the feeling that I was being addressed, so I turned to face the voice. Standing in front of me were three National Guardsmen dressed in their uniforms. The one in front spoke. “I will not ask again peasant. Where did you get that sword?” growled the man.

I drank in the experience and swallowed it. Grandfather had taught me to take nothing personally and to be impeccable with my words so without malice or defensiveness I calmly responded, “Do you have a claim against me sir?”

The man at first seemed shocked. He was definitely not expecting such a response. Then I saw his face flush with blood as his anger swelled within his form.

“Answer my question peasant! Where did you get that sword?!” The words spewed from his mouth dripping with rage and contempt.

“Do you have a claim against me?” I responded again, very calmly. I sensed Grandfather at my side but kept my attention and focus firmly on the man who I was addressing.

In an instant I saw the future in my minds eye. The irate Guardsman lunged towards me with his hand going for my throat. I turned at my waist, watched his arm go to where I had been an instant ago, trapped his arm and gently kicked his knee just enough to make him loose his balance. The other two guards immediately rushed in. The guard closest to me was to my left and he was reaching over his shoulder for the sword worn on his back so I subdued that tiger quickly. I turned my head to the right to see the last guard reaching for his sword. That tiger was subdued as well.

“Stop!” shouted a deep authoritative voice. I turned to see another Guardsman approaching.  His dress was far more ornate and he had many medals attached to his lapel. He walked up to me, looked me straight in the eyes and firmly stated, “You are under arrest!”

By now there was a large gathering of civilians watching the commotion and the three guardsmen had returned to standing position. They stood at attention apparently waiting for orders.

“Well arrest him!” barked the officer.

The three guardsmen looked at me and hesitated, obviously not wanting to be subdued a second time. I spared them any more humiliation.

“Do you have a claim against me?” I asked the officer.

“Yes! You are under arrest for attacking three National Guardsmen!” he stated.

“Sir,” I started calmly. “Do YOU have a claim against me?” I asked with intent.

The officer was silent. He was obviously wise enough to understand that in fact HE did not have a claim against me.

“I have a claim against you!” shouted the belligerent guard that had been the first to attack. “You are under arrest by order of the Government!” he said with indignation.

“May I see the order you are acting upon?” I asked, loud enough for everyone to hear.

The guard seemed confused. He looked to his officer questioningly.

“We do not need any orders to arrest you! We are the authority here!” the officer shouted. He was clearly aggravated that he was loosing control of the situation due simply to the prying questions of a peasant.

“One of those statements is true, but would be unwise to act upon” I responded. “The other is not.” I looked to the crowd. “I am my own authority. I submit to no man or Government. Government, was created by the people of our land, to serve the people of the land. Government, was never supposed to become a power hungry authority, preying upon those which it was meant to serve.” I finished looking directly at the officer.

“You have taken an oath to serve, have you not?” I asked.

The officer nodded.

“Then please go about fulfilling your duty as there is nothing more fulfilling than service to those you have sworn to help,” I finished.

There were whispers in the crowd. There seemed to be an air of expectation. I sensed that the energy of the crowd could spur the guardsmen to further action, so with complete sincerity I said one more word. “Please.”

Later that day, as Grandfather and I made our way back to our village, the events of the day resurfaced.

“Tell me,” Grandfather started. “Would you have handled today’s events any differently if given a second opportunity?” he inquired.

“No Grandfather,” I responded immediately. “All experiences happen exactly as they are meant to. Our greatest challenge is to gain as much from each experience as possible and incorporate those lessons into our lives in order to fulfill our potential.

I thought I saw Grandfather smile.

The End